001rule making process in chapter 120 of the Florida statutes. Today is Wednesday, December 17th, 2025, and I'd like to call this public me hearing to order. The time is 6 p.m. I ask that out of respect to everyone, please silence all electronic devices at this time. If you have any material you wish to share with any of us, please give that to our assistant right here, our executive assistant, Mrs. Mo. Um, at this time, I'd like everyone to stand for the pledge of allegiance. I pledge algiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> Thank you. I'd like to recognize the superintendent for the purpose of this public hearing. Madam Chair, we are here,
002as you just referenced, to approve the innovation item um that is coming before the board tonight. >> Okay. Um so the item that we have is the discussion for approval of the district's operational innovation and efficiency planning initiative. And I believe we're going to mesh that now with um the amended approval of the district's operational innovation and efficiency planning initiative rulemaking process in in chapter 120 of the Florida statutes. So at the school board business meeting held October 27th, 2025, the superintendent presented the recommendations for the district's operational inefficient innovation and efficiency planning initiative. After a robust discussion, the school board voted to wave and extend the deadline in policy 5121, controlled open enrollment, to extend the school choice application window to February 6 of 2026, in order for and to provide families with sufficient
003time to make informed decisions pertaining to the anticipated presentation and adoption of the associated reasonzoning and boundary changes. The school board also discussed the timeline for the potential approval and implementation of the district's operational innovation and efficiency planning initiative which included a public hearing on November 17, 2025. The district held several community, parents, and staff innovations information sessions at various schools, JA Thompson Administration Center and the town hall meetings in North County on [snorts] November 18, 2025 and South County on November 19th, 2025. This special meeting public hearing is to go through the rulemaking process in chapter 120 of the Florida statutes which governs the reasonzoning and boundary determination process. This item deals with the approval of the district's operational innovation and efficiency planning initiative rulemaking process in chapter 120 Florida statutes. Dr. Moore, have
004you documented that this public hearing was properly advertised in accordance with state statutes? >> I have. >> We now recess this meeting to conduct a public hearing as advertised. The public hearing is now in session. The time is 6:03. Dr. Moore, are there any written responses to the advertised public hearing to be read at this time? >> Not at this time. >> The public is invited to address only this issue at this time. Is there any individual representing an organization or his own personal or public interest who wishes to speak? Come to the podium. >> Nobody else wants to raise your hand. >> Hi there. Um, my name is Zachary Wiggers. I'm the treasurer of the Indian River County Education Association. I'm also a uh teacher of financial algebra at Sebastian River High School. >>
005I spent like two days trying to write this and I still don't know what I want to say, but um I was watching a movie yesterday that my mother likes to watch every Christmas Eve before we go to midnight mass and it's a Wonderful Life. And it got me to thinking of how eerily similar George Bailey's life is to the way we live our lives every day. the stresses that we include, the things we have to overcome, and all the things we need to do in order to make our community better for those after us. And what this initiative, in my opinion, does it sets us and the people after us in our community up for success. Um, it is it's one of the things that a lot of us struggle with is just trying
006to understand where we fit and our impact in the world. George Bailey has that issue all throughout the movie. I'd be better off without him. And and Clarence somehow finds a way to let him know, listen, it's not the case. It's a lot darker. Education has shown us since the Renaissance that it will lift everyone up. Without education and what we do in public education, we would still be in a semifudal system from the 1850s. It it built a middle class. It built a better America. And what we try to do is help our children become better citizens and better Americans in the future. And what we are doing and what we hope to achieve with this plan is to make sure that they get the attention and the education that they need to make
007better sound decisions in the future. Um, one of the things I'd also like to say is I I know that this is the checkpoint in the year for all of us. We're about to go two days. We have two half days and then we get to have two and a half weeks off. Um, I know that it's a struggle for some of us in education that go, I really want to come back in January. I don't know if I want to come back in January, but I'm going to be there. My my books are still there, so I guess I my laptop still logs in, so I'm okay. Um, but I want to say that as we approach the new year, it brings new hope. Hope that lessons will sink in, that pneumonic devices will
008be remembered, that breath will not be wasted. Hope that bonds form with our students that are more covealent than I than ionic. And hope that at the end we get to share in George's revelation that our impact on our community is far more than what we can see. So that's what I'd like to say. Thank you. >> Thank you for adding a little chemistry to your talk. Is there anyone else that would like to speak? No. >> Wow. Nobody. >> All right. Seeing no other speakers, um I'll conclude that and the announced public hearing for approval of district's operational innovation and efficiency planning initiative rulemaking process in chapter 120 Florida statutes has been conducted pursuant to notice. An ample opportunity to address this issue has been provided to all. The board is now reconvened at
009this time. The time is 60:07. At this time, I'd like to call for a motion for approval of the district's operational innovation and efficiency planning initiative rulemaking process in chapter 120, Florida statutes as noted. >> So moved. >> Second. >> Okay, Mr. Dyer, Dr. Jones. All right, time for discussion. Anyone that would like to discuss this item, >> you want to present one more? >> I think so. >> Okay, go ahead. [snorts] >> Just for a matter of clarity. So, as we present the item, I want to begin um with gratitude. Gratitude for the board. Uh several months ago, we began a discussion about innovation and and stop talking about innovation and really begin the work of innovating our school system. I think collectively between the board, m myself, our staff, we understand that public
010education needs drastic change. The levers that are being pulled across our nation to improve public education are are shifting towards choice and change, providing a level of flexibility to meet the unique needs of our children and our community. And if you look at our industry as a whole over the last hundred years, it's probably the one industry that has changed the least. Um, so it is time for us to embrace innovation, listen to our parents, listen to our community, and provide quality education just as referenced that meets the needs of every single child. So this shift in change in practice uh unlike a number of districts across the state, really the nation, um we're responding to doing more with less to maximize the service and the resources that we can provide to our children. A
011deep analysis of who we are as a community and what our children deserve as a community. um gratitude for both of our unions um to say, "Hey, this is what we're thinking of doing. We don't want to do it to you. We want to do it with you. Work with us. Help us identify what is the best theory of action? What are the impacts on us as uh a group of individuals who believe the same, have different roles in our school system, but ultimately believe the same? And what do we got to do uh to do this collectively?" Uh same thing uh with our teachers union. We're going to be shifting and changing practices drastically because that's what our community deserves for its children, but we're doing it collectively and together. You know some of
012the this item has a number of changes but some of the changes that I'm absolutely the most proud of are changes that are happening at school sites not changes that are happening here at this dis not changes that are happening at my office changes that are being recommended to this board by those who are closest to children um and it has been truly powerful I think we were walking into a meeting and doc's like well what do what are we going to do and I was like well doc whatever they want us to do um and sure enough um it has been powerful to watch school site teams come together, uh, engage in conversation, have a deep understanding as to why we're making these recommendations and saying, "Hey, if it's best for our children and
013best for our community, let's roll up our sleeves. Um, gratitude for my team. I know I work at a clip or I know I like to grind. Um, but when this item says 22 meetings, those are just the documented meetings. Um it has been every night for almost three months engaging in conversation uh having town halls, meeting with faculties, following up with faculties, uh truly listening and it has been absolutely wonderful uh to walk into a a room filled with uh parents and those parents have a hundred questions and us only have 42 answers. Um but as a result of listening, as a result of really really understanding the concerns, the plan gets better. Um some of the innovative things that we're doing really continue to grow based on really being unique in terms of
014responding to the needs of our community. Um so this has been a significant amount of work and we truly have adopted a theory of action. Let's do the absolute hardest work we can possibly do and use it as an opportunity to improve the quality of our relationships, improve the strength of our beliefs, um, and use our beliefs and use our relationships to change and shift uh, what public education looks like. And at the end of the day, what will happen? what will happen. Not only will we all be an A school district with all A schools continuing to to move up towards that number one spot, um our relationships will strengthen. Uh people will continue to look at what's going on in Indian River County and say this is a system in which I want
015to to place my children. So I'm just proud of the amount of work that has gone into this and how authentic and real that work has been. So, just to kind of highlight some of the shifts and changes, uh, let me say it for the 37th time. Uh, I'll do it uh, relatively brief. Uh, in this move, the freshman learning center, those children going into nth grade next year will move into the main building. Uh, the main building numbers number of years ago had more number than the combined campuses uh, currently have. They will fit. Uh, that will save about a recurring cost of $1.2 2 million uh that we can reinvest in our staffs and reinvest in the resources. It also has significant impact on making sure we can get children home on time
016because of the changing from one campus, picking up students and going to the other. Students at the current Oslo Middle School uh will then shift to um the freshman learning center under the new name of Vero Beach Middle School uh with a new mascot uh Tomahawks. And I was traveling schools today. We just finished my my sixth student uh superintendence student council. So we weren't there for the innovation. We weren't there for those changes. Uh but to listen to those students and their level of excitement of having the opportunity to engage at that campus and engage in the programming at Vero Beach Senior High School uh was really really exciting to hear. Oyola Magnet School, one of our premier programs will be have the opportunity to expand options what we know children want or families
017want at the Oslo campus. Uh so we'll move those over and then expand the opportunities to provide uh more choice into that high demand program. Storm Grove Middle School right next to us, that boundary will be eliminated and absorbed by the other three remaining middle schools. Next year's seventh and eighth graders who are now sixth and seventh graders will remain at um remain [snorts] at Storm Grove. They will not be displaced. Uh so they will continue on at that particular school. The students from Rosewood Middle uh Elementary will come over and they will be at Rosewood Magnet, same name, adopting a new mascot, uh the stingrays with a happier looking stingray, Dr. Jacobs. Um and that was great conversation uh to see that and that was that was the coming together of of the two
018faculties. So to so to be part of that uh and see that conversation then trans uh translate back to the two particular campuses uh was truly powerful and very very exciting. Glendale Elementary School uh boundary will be absorbed into Citrus Elementary School that also um well fit and then we will spend um the amount of time at Glendale Elementary School repurposing it to expand the programming for some of our district's most fragile students at Wabaso. Uh because that school is at capacity uh and we need to be able to expand offering for um some of our most fragile students and we need to do it with the appropriate amount of space. But we're gonna have to retrofit that space in in order to make sure that it's appropriate for those students. So we will move
019them probably uh next year. And then that concludes the overall um recommendations. So Madam Chair, that that is the item. >> Okay. Board members, Mr. Rosario. >> Thank you. Thank you uh Dr. Moore for that update. Um we've talked about this many times over the last several months. Um, and so I I'm grateful for um that we're finally here at this point. Um, I do have some questions. Um, some of the things that you just focused on with your summary were really, um, Oslo Middle School, um, uh, Oyola, I think you mentioned Oyola going to Oslo, but you didn't mention some of the other boundary changes here. And I'm going to give you the floor again just so you can share with parents please. Um the plan for Glendale uh into Citrus which I didn't
020hear you just now s mentioned. You may have um but if you didn't if you can uh mention that um also Sebastian Elementary School uh and Dargertown is also here. >> So if you can >> Yeah, absolutely. I I did reference but in terms of the boundary changes which is a good point. Thank you. Um, >> the boundary for Glendale will be absorbed into Citrus Elementary School. So, if you live in that particular zoned area for Glendale, you will now be transported to Citrus. They are very, very close to one another. The other boundary change is a very minor change, but in my mind, the appropriate change. There's a very small section um very close to Dodger Elementary School in which it's basically an apartment complex in which those students were being transported all the
021way out to uh Sebastian Elementary School. Uh and it's been that way for a number of years because of choice. A number of those students were not even choosing to go on that long bus drive. They were choosing to go to a school closer to their home. Um, but I believe because we are a district that is full choice, um, having to bus a student because they were black into a different school to have a a ratio, um, isn't something that we need to be doing, uh, in our current state. And the reality is, uh, our district is an extremely high performing district. We meet the needs of all students. Uh, and parents need to have the opportunity to be zoned to the school that's closest to them. And if they want to choose to
022go somewhere else, then absolutely they should. So that zone will now move into the Dodger tone uh zone and that is the that is the only other um boundary change. >> But just to be clear, if any of those parents want to remain where they are, they absolutely can. >> Absolutely. And they'll have the depot opportunity which they currently have. So >> So question about the transition. How are these parents going to be allowed the time? where is this time and how is the communication going to happen with these parents with all of the parents um in terms of requesting to remain where they are right now or choosing to go to Dodgertown for example same thing with O uh with Rosewood you know if those parents want to remain where they are what how
023is this transition going to happen at the ground level with >> very similar process than we followed last year would just obviously be expanded that process was uh each family that's at a current school that is either expanding a grade level, so a sixth grade going to seventh grade um in the middle school spaces or the opportunity to remain at Sebastian. They will be individually contacted um through the school office and identify yes, I want to remain at my current location. And if they do not want to remain, they will be futured to their boundary school pending the outcome of choice. So before the choice window opens, every family will have declared, "I plan on staying at my current location." So if you're staying at your current location, you'll have the opportunity to stay right
024there. You'll have nothing else other than declare that you're staying. So it'll be relatively uh very very straightforward for those. I mean, of course, choice is going to be um absolutely outstanding this year because of these these changes. We anticipate a number of or an increase in students participating in choice. Right now, it's it's one and um at four students. We anticipate it going up even even higher at the end of this choice window. >> Okay. And thank you for that. And um the other questions that I have uh this is a actually a suggestion. Um since we were talking about a lot of questions since you mentioned that parents had hundreds of questions and we had 40 something answers. We got the other 60 before, but [laughter] >> um I think it might be
025a good idea um as a suggestion to uh adopt some kind of or to create not to adopt to create um some kind of information hotline uh phone number if you have any questions call this number so there's one central location. I mean, clearly parents can go to their principal, but some because things are so fluid. Um, if there were one district hotline number, parents would be able to call that number, leave a message, and they'd get a, you know, single message rather than, you know, five different messages and you know how that goes. Um, if not that, maybe even a an email hotline, right? Uh, innovate riverschools.org or or something like, you know, something informational so that they can either call or email. And this way we can, you know, at the district level
026kind of funnel those questions. And it also gives us a really good um uh view, you know, a really good um insight into what are the concerns of our community with regard to these transitions. And finally, um, you know, there might be some things that we're not pay we haven't paid attention to. We haven't thought of and through these questions and these concerns, you know, it might actually raise something of like, oh, we didn't we haven't considered that. What are your thoughts? >> So, uh, we do have an innovation page. Um, so if it doesn't have already the the link to submit that information, it's been ongoing. Um but I wholeheartedly agree that that point of contact as we move into recruitment season. Yeah. Um questions will continue and I once again have to commend
027the team in in terms of identifying those 60 questions that we had circling back with the entire team. What are their responses? I think when we get into the new year and um and you see what's being produced for the recruitment fair, we have done such an outstanding job. There will be things that we miss because we're human, but identifying what parents really, really want to know. How are they going to get to their school? Um, and then playing that forward. Um, the work really is going to be challenging as we, >> you know, move an entire school to a new campus and making, you know, typically when you're a kindergarten, you just follow the parent in front of you as to like how you do drop off. No one's going to know how to
028do drop off in some schools. So the volume of training to make sure that we have a pleasant first week of school is going to be absolutely significant and communication will be key uh in order to ensure our success. >> Yeah, I uh I'm looking forward to that. Um there are two other uh general concerns. Um one regarding an email that we all received from Mr. Green today about the renaming of Oslo. Um and a gentleman by the name of Mr. Hells uh being very concerned that the Oslo name which was originally given to Oslo Middle School uh by his grandfather and that it originated from his family heritage um from Oslo, Norway. As I read that, I thought um obviously, you know, it it breaks my heart. I don't know what we're going to
029do about that, but I'd like to ask Mr. Green um because I know that you reached out to Mr. Hel if you can just give us a little bit of update on that. >> Absolutely. I was able to have a conversation with him and learned a lot about the family history and just sharing for example, if you remember Coach Thompson who had Thompson Elementary and after all those changes, we're now sitting in the JA Thompson administrative complex. So, and since he was a superintendent for a long time, this was the appropriate place to honor him across the district. So, the conversation we're going to touch base right after the holidays, um, is to work together to find ways to honor that and the materials that are in the hallway. Um, Miss Patty apparently had brought
030some stuff when Chris Cummings was there and shared it's in the hallway. So, a lot of good dialogue and stuff that we'll be able to honor in those traditions and um, we'll work on that as soon as the break is over. >> Okay. So we we are looking to keep the Oslo name somewhere. Is that what I'm understanding? >> Yeah. To try in definitely incorporate that area. The Oslo property. The Oslo road was named Oslo Road because it went through that Oslo area. So um find ways to incorporate that so that legacy definitely stays with that facility. >> Okay. I appreciate that. And it would really be important I think u for us to find ways to honor um uh his legacy. Um, and then Dr. Moore, can you talk a little bit about bus
031drivers and the bus depot? the the the the concern with the North County Bus depot uh originally not open and then now the concern is can we reopen it so that there would the north county or any of our bus drivers that live in Bvard can have a shorter distance to those buses in the morning. um can you update us on that because with all of these changes clearly there's another side obviously staff concerns and I just wanted to um ask you if you can talk a little bit about that. >> So there there are no changes that I'm considering regarding the elimination of of a north transportation center. It was a suggestion made to me not by my staff. Um, but in terms of this item, absolutely not. And in terms of a cost
032cutting uh initiative, um, I don't see that as a a something to consider. >> Okay. So, the North County Bus depot will remain open. >> Correct. >> Okay. Good. And then, um, I'm going to come back to the plan here, the innovative plan. Um, oh um, one, two, what page am I on? One, two, three. I'm on the fourth page. The, what you have described here is um, number one, renaming of Oslo. Number two, maintaining Rosewood Magnet School. Are they going to Rosewood Magnet K8? >> Rosewood Magnet School. The name that name fits and that they want. It stays the same, >> but it's not going to be a K8. >> No, the the name it is a K8, but this the school name is Rosewood Magnet. >> Okay. And but what I don't see
033here is any description of a phasing out of Storm Grove Middle School. So, I mean I mean clearly it's obvious with the not the closing out of Storm Grove Middle School as a middle school, but the they're now going to colllocate. They're going to become one, right? Rosewood and the current Storm Grove students will become one school, but will there be a phasing out of the name Storm Grove or is that going to disappear altogether? Then >> and that's the part that in here it's not actually written. >> So the and in terms of the the approval of of the item, yes, those students who are currently at Storm Grove Middle School will remain at the new name school um Rosewood Magnet and they will yes phase out still being provided transportation. And very similar
034in terms of what Mr. Green uh said although the storm grown name will not be the official name of the school um very specific planning will take place to say to to remember what that school has done the championships that they have won. If you go in that school's gym it's filled with the banners those banners will remain. Same thing with Oslo. Um the name is changing. Um >> but that's really all that's changing the accomplishments of the of the history of what was Storm Grove and what was Oslo. uh is still part of the history of of that school itself. >> So, I would recommend a quick um amendment, maybe even a sentence or two that just says that the Storm Grove Middle School um will no longer exist as Storm Grove. Uh that's
035not in here. Um it's it's a it's an easy fix, but um it's just something that I think would be important for anybody who pulls this up. They'll be able to see that uh Storm Grove will now become Rosewood magnet. And then the other question is uh when will we receive plans for the current Oyola facility and the current Rosewood facility? >> Rosewood facility. Well, let me answer the question. I I think by the end of January we'll have it'll be a discussion item coming into January workshop and and then we will continue that conversation at the Rosewood. We will use we will begin the process which will take a lengthy time to request to demolish the classrooms themselves while the front buildings will still be used um for professional development as well as well
036as afterchool care um for students who are at will be at Rosewood but we'll transport them back to um that particular center for for afterchool care which will allow the parents to pick them up at a space closer to their their house which is currently where those students are going to school. So we'll be doing before school and after school care um obviously with supervision at the road the current Rosewood location and then we'll work at Ocyola and we intend to bring very specific programming uh to access public dollars that parents are receiving through um the the scholarship for to engage our teachers with advanced coursework. uh to engage our facility, whether it be co-op, whether it be um the playground, whether it be the science classrooms, there there are a a new way of
037accessing and using public space um and being provided public dollars that those families currently have for use of those space and use of the educators that we have currently on staff. >> Okay. So, I think I have exhausted all of my questions and concerns and thank you for addressing them. >> Thank Dr. Pasc you want to say >> um I just like to say again um you know I'm very excited about these innovative changes. we've been talking about them for a number of months and um it's really vital for this district and the community um to focus on efficiency and I think every county in the state of Florida should be looking at efficiency at their local government level um because if you want a school district and a public school system that's going to
038be successful down the line, you have to eliminate the bloat um in whatever form it exists in your county. Um because if you are continuing to waste tax dollars, um those are monies that you could then give teachers raises. Um buy more innovative uh school teaching items. Um you know, right now we have an economy where most people are are really suffering. You know, energy costs are high, food costs are high, rent is high. Um forget about trying to buy a house. Um so the obviously salaries have lagged for about a decade behind inflation and inflation is you know it's much higher than they're reporting it to be. Um so people are suffering and you know if we allow um government to do what government does which is you know at the end of the
039day it's always easier to spend other people's money than it is to spend your own. Uh you're always going to have more waste. Um, if we continue to do that, um, down the line, you will have a broken public school system. You will you you will have a a community where you do not have the money to fix the roads properly. Um, so doing this now sets us up for success later. Um, so I'm very very proud of the district for taking on this task, which is a a monumental amount of work. Um, and I think you're doing an excellent job, and I'm excited that we're reaching the execution phase of it. And uh I wish you guys the best. >> Thank you. >> Thank Doc. First of all, thank you Dr. Moore to you
040and your staff. This has been a lot of work. You're running the district while doing all these changes and I know how much time it takes. I look back at the September meeting and I remember saying to you, get out there and let the people know and you did that 22 meetings later. And having been in this district for about 45 years, this is the hardest thing we've ever done in this public school system. You know, I remember when Thompson became Oyola and we became the Thompson administrative building and people thought that was a big big change, but um we're doing this to continue to move forward. Uh recently at the FSBA conference, I met with quite a few board members from different counties and I could say we are unique and being proactive and
041I think that's important for all of us. Um you know, you talked about relationships. You know, people will say we're a business. We are. We are a business, but we're a people business. And in order for it to really really excel, you've got to establish those relationships. U the feedback in the community, people will say this is hard, but they're listening. They're understanding. Um I know most of the time they will go to their principal and ask the questions, and I think the principles are doing a great job. But when we have that recruitment fair doc, I think it's um when that is scheduled, you know, having a a great place for questions for all these general questions, I think it will help our parents. Um as Dr. Pasca said, people are kind of living
042daytoday and they're looking at this and thinking, I know it's going to happen, but then it's going to happen in the spring and they might have a lot of questions. So, we've got to be there for them. Um I know the Helsa family from their students that went to the junior high and high school. So, whatever we can do there, I think it's very, very important. Uh it's very much a history in this county, especially in South Bureau and um I know Chris and his family will be happy with what we can do to honor that family and honor the naming of that of Oslo Middle. Um you know, we one thing I'm very proud of is that we are accountable to taxpayers. Every penny you can see where we spend it in operating and
043in capital and in internal. So, I'm very proud of that and hopefully our taxpayers can see that we are doing the job we are to do when we get taxpayer money and I think our public school systems do a great job with that. Um, just in general, you know, this was an enormous amount of work and uh I think the community is is happy that we're moving forward and I just want to thank you very much, >> Mr. Dime. Yeah, I I think that this is uh the uh a great end to a process that's been many months in the making. You know, I I kind of thought about in the beginning, there's so much that's been happening to public education from the financial challenges from the state and from the voucher program and from
044what I have been calling defunding of public schools, which I think is largely recognized. I think next year's budget uh Mr. Green just told me was what around $6 million of which uh 60 70% is going to the voucher program and I think the the school district uh right now is proposed to get another maybe a million four out of six million. So most of it is going again to the voucher program. There's a lot of things that are going on but you know kind of like that movie where they said there's no crying in baseball. Well there's really no whining in public education. And if there's anything that I would say that this uh district has done is Dr. Moore and his team and this board have really met the challenge and the challenges
045have been really multiple. How do you innovate? How do you take a district that has shown uh that it can go from a low BC district to an A district to have majority of our schools I think only three or B's no C or D everything else is an A 85% of our schools are A schools not that way four or five years ago so we've we've innovated in education and now how do we meet the other challenges how do we meet the financial challenge Well, you have to do it by being more efficient. And I think you've met that head on and uh have cut even before we got here another $7 million from the from the budget over the last couple of years. Uh how do we uh continue to excel? How do
046we make sure that we take the great programs we have and the success that we have and ensure that it goes forward into the future? And really, how do we learn to compete? And I think we learn to compete by the number by doing a number of things. One of them is being the best choice. We're not only the best choice, we're the quality choice. Our teachers are certified. We have state approved uh curriculum. We are uh are accountable. We are tested to the state in our grades and you know exactly where you stand versus standards. So, you know that we have a choice that is a quality choice in the community. And I think that leads me to another point and that is is there's a lot of change and there's a lot of
047choice that each family will have. And I hope that somehow we're going to be able to market and to do marketing to get to every family to let them understand exactly what choices they have and what then find what the best choice is for their uh for their children. And I I hope that we're going to really take that on right as we come back from after the holidays and try to develop a a matrix almost for every kid and for every family and help them make the most probably one of the most important choices they will make uh for their for their children. Uh and uh and then finally, I guess the the certainly the need to compete. We are the in my opinion the number one choice in Indian River County is right
048here in the school district. And as long as we continue to sell, excel, spend the taxpayers money wisely and innovate, I think that we will be that way for many years to come. And so I just want to thank everybody involved, the staff, the board, the parents for coming out and giving us the ideas and being involved and the unions who are here represented tonight. Thank you very much. uh it couldn't have happened without you guys really understanding the challenges and the needs and also uh participating and and making this a better plan. So thanks to all. >> All right. Thank you. Um I did attend the FSBA conference as well and this isn't just happening to us. It's happening all over not just the state of Florida but the nation. Um the amount of
049babies being born has gone down. Um, we live in a retirement community mostly, so we can expect this change. Um, and then you put scholarships on top of it and all that. Um, good for us for thinking ahead instead of chasing the tail. So, I appreciate that. Um, I know speaking to fellow board members across the state that they were really amazed at some of the decisions that we are looking at doing. um they haven't even gotten to that point yet and I know it's going to be tougher for them because um boundary changes are probably this toughest thing that you can go through when you sit on a board and seeing very few people in this room tells me that it was well communicated. So, um kudos to you and your team for going
050out and listening. I was at one of those where there were a couple upset parents and um you know district staff went right to them and said, "Okay, what what do you need? What can we think?" And right there there were some innovative things that were decided on such as um the Rosewood um preschool and after school program changes that was decided right there when I was there. And it was it was really neat to see that um parents were listened to and that those ideas don't just come from the school district, they come from the community. So, it's it's nice to hear that the community is involved in this and behind it. Um it's tough when you close schools and people have just like we heard in the email from Mr. house. Um, people
051have a lot of pride in their schools and it's really tough when you see that either the mascot's going to change or the school's going to close or the name's going to change. And so we have to honor those histories and we have to think of ways to do that. But we also have to move forward and um come up with a really innovative plan for our kids. Our kids are learning things that we didn't learn in school and they will continue to learn differently than we learned when we were in school. And so we have to keep thinking in a forward motion that way. So, um, I appreciate all of your hard work and going and doing all the town halls and staff for all of the innovative ideas that you came up with.
052I think it's a great plan. Um, it has shifted and changed since the beginning and I think it's shifted and changed for the for the right reasons. So, thank you for listening to people and putting their input into the plan. All right. At this time, I'd like to take a vote. So, I'm we have a motion and we have a second for the approval of the district's operational innovation and efficiency planning initiative rulemaking process in chapter 120 Florida statutes as noted. Um, call for the vote. All those in favor? >> I. Anyone opposed? It passes 50. >> Congratulations. >> Well, now the now the work begins. And madam chair, if I could just the volume of work that we have put into this and and thank you for each of you for acknowledging that um
053as we just finished the PM2 assessments, the state's progress monitoring assessments. Just a real quick update and I'll send this to you um before taking all the green over. >> Um yeah, it it um elementary school is 5% higher than it was this time last year. Middle school is 4% higher than it was this time last year. High school is the exact same space they were last year. But as a district, we're 5% higher than we were this time last year. Um, and that is just to me the most exciting thing because uh, team Bura typically is is >> I don't I don't want to sound mean, but out there in the schools supporting and making sure everything happens. Um, and as we've taken on this new body of work, that's the principal's work. That's
054that's what they're doing right now. So, it's so um cool to see that we're continuing to outpace the state. Um the the growth, the strategy, the commitment that our teachers and school sites are are working. I it's it's right there. So, as we walk into this break, um just so excited for what is going to be probably the most busiest next eight months of of our professional careers because you approved the item, but man, the work that we got to do now to deliver on all these changes. Um it's exciting. So, thank you very much. >> Thank you. I'm sure um social media you'll be popping out all the new um signs that go up and all the changes. And uh at this time then I'll call for the closing. The um meeting is going
055to be adjourned at 6:45.